Syrian Committee for Human Rights – MAD has received complaints about abuses of detainees held in Sednaya Prison in Damascus by the prison administration, including the following:

preventing the detainee speaking with his family in his own language during the interview, especially Kurdish detainees;

each detainee is closely monitored by an officer of the prison during the interview with his family for the whole meeting;

the meeting between the detainee and his family is very short as it lasts only up to fifteen minutes;

the meeting between the detainee and his family is held through iron bars and they are separated by a distance of half a meter, which stops the prisoner having any physical contact such as hugs with their mother or other members of the family;

the lack of opportunity to relax in the open air and see the sun;

lack of health care for detainees;

the lack hygiene especially in the washing areas;

the lack of nutritious and healthy food;

permission is not given for families to meet with the detainee when they attend at the prison. Many travel a long way to see their sons, and they often have to wait for twenty-four hours before being allowed in;

There has been much talk about the methods of oppression and torture in prisons in various countries. Syria is known for its brutality towards its opponents, and below is a true story to demonstrate this.

A young Kurdish poet who had lived in Syria between 2000 to 2002 managed to travel to Australia, legally arriving in Australia in November 2003. He stayed for about three years, and then wanted to travel to Kurdistan to visit his family and relatives, and from there to visit Syria to see his friends whom had met during his stay there. Read more

Kurdish political prisoners in Adra Prison and Sednaya Military Prison, Damascus, Syria continue a hunger strike that they began on 30 October 2009 to protest about the conditions under which they are being detained. They are striking for:
• a fair trial
• an end to solitary detention in prison
• to be allowed to leave the prison yard
• to receive visits from parents, and relatives
• and to have access to the media, including radio and television bulletins to give them the same conditions as are available to criminal prisoners.
For a full report: http://supportkurds.org/news/hunger-strike-amongst-kurdish-political-prisoners-in-syria

The families of the hunger strikers in the prison are outside the prison waiting to see the men, but they are not allowed access to them. According to MAD, five of the hunger striking prisoners were expected in Court on 17 November 2009 but were not produced because of the hunger strike. Their cases were adjourned to 12 December 2009. Read more